Choice called wily, with a fierce will

Emanuel, 48, grew up in the ritzy Chicago suburb of Wilmette, the son of an Israeli doctor who moved to the United States. His brother Ari is a Hollywood agent and the inspiration for Ari Gold, the Type-A superagent on the HBO series "Entourage."

The congressman himself has been cited as an inspiration for presidential aide Josh Lyman on the drama series "The West Wing."

His start in politics came after college, when he worked for Paul Simon's 1984 Senate campaign and Richard Daley's run for Chicago mayor in 1989. Then he went to work for a little-known Arkansas governor who wanted to be president.

Emanuel's fund-raising skills are credited with helping keep Bill Clinton's campaign afloat during some rocky times, particularly the scandal over whether he had an affair with Gennifer Flowers.

In 1999, Emanuel left the White House to work in investment banking in Chicago. The firm he joined was soon sold and Emanuel made millions, giving him the financial security to get back into politics.

Emanuel was elected to Congress in 2002 and quickly became a major power. He eventually oversaw the party's House election efforts in 2006 and won a majority for Democrats through tireless fund-raising and candidate recruitment.

"He's a good tactician. He's a creative thinker. But I think what probably makes him most successful is that he has the will to follow his convictions," US Representative Danny Davis, a fellow Illinois Democrat, said after the 2006 victory.

The single biggest source in the record fund-raising effort was other members of Congress, which irritated some members who faced fierce pressure to contribute. The additional money allowed House Democrats to expand the field, going into districts that hadn't previously been considered competitive. That sometimes meant recruiting more conservative candidates, an Emanuel strategy that generated some complaints.